EP#67 - Christian Witness in De-industrialised Communities - with Justin Gill

In this episode, Al and Jenny meet Justin Gill. Justin became a follower of Jesus as a young man in his native Pakistan from where he immigrated to the UK. Immersed in post-industrial English communities for twenty years, he became well acquainted with the complex realities of race, poverty, religion, and questions of belonging. This conversation explores the turbulent relationship between Christianity, Islam and secularisation in a time of cultural and political instability. Justin senses that God has brought him, as a Christian, into Muslim contexts, and to be among the indigenous English working class. His love for peoples and place is evident in his deep understanding of these different communities’ reactions to deindustrialisation, and how their responses to current tensions express their distinct histories and worldviews. Tying all this together is his deep conviction of Christ as Redeemer and His presence in hard, conflicted places.

Justin Gill works with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC), advising on cross-cultural mission in a network that links more than 50,000 Christians across the UK. Justin speaks here in a personal capacity. Born and raised in North Pakistan, he was an advisor on minority affairs to a political party and led relief operations following the 2005 earthquake. Moving to the UK in 2006, he gained an MSc in Development and Project Planning at Bradford University and lived in North Yorkshire. He continues to support evangelical church networks in Pakistan. He now lives in Leicestershire and attends Knighton Free Church.

For Justin Gill

https://fiec.org.uk/people/justin-gill

https://fiec.org.uk/who-we-are/staff

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/justin-gill-fiec

https://x.com/Justin4Gill

https://fiec.org.uk/resources/moving-towards-intercultural-church

https://fiec.org.uk/resources/should-every-church-be-multi-racial

For Alan J Roxburgh:

http://alanroxburgh.com/about

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alan.roxburgh.127/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecommonsnetwork

Books:

Forming Communities of Hope in the Great Unravelling: Leadership in a Changing World (with Roy Searle)

Joining God in the Great Unravelling

Leadership, God’s Agency and Disruptions

Joining God, Remaking Church, Changing the World: The New Shape of the Church in Our Time

For Jenny Sinclair:

Substack: https://t4cg.substack.com/s/from-jenny-sinclair

Website: https://togetherforthecommongood.co.uk/from-jenny-sinclair

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-sinclair-0589783b/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/T4CG

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TogetherForTheCommonGoodUK

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t4cg_insta/